US, Singapore kick off joint military exercise in South China Sea

SINGAPORE (Xinhua) - The naval forces of the United States and Singapore kicked off a joint exercise in the South China Sea on Tuesday.

Vice-Admiral Robert Thomas, commander of the US Navy Seventh Fleet, said that the joint exercise is in line with the US' " rebalancing" of forces in the Asia-Pacific.

The vice-admiral also reaffirmed what the US sees as its " commitment to freedom of access" on the seas in the region, even though it has never been a problem over the past decades.

The exercise is part of the annual Exercise CARAT, or Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.

The two sides also marked the 20th anniversary of the exercise with a ceremony on Tuesday.

Rear-Admiral Timothy Lo, commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Fleet, said that the Exercise CARAT has expanded in scope and complexity since its beginning in 1995.

He also said that the exercise has provided tremendous professional value to both navies and helped enhance bilateral relations.

Exercise CARAT Singapore, which involves 1,400 personnel this year, will continue through to Aug. 8.

Singapore has partnered with the US Navy in CARAT since 1995, which also involved eight other navies such as those of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Timor - Leste.

The USS Wayne E Meyer and USS Halsey will participate in Exercise CARAT Singapore.

This year's exercise covers a broad range of naval complexities including surface gunnery and air defence exercise, search and rescue, shipboard helicopter operations and maritime interdiction.

A US Navy report said that the highlight of this year's sea phase will be an anti-submarine warfare exercise involving helicopters and ships and that torpedoes will be launched against an underwater target.